The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II (Denise Kiernan)

****

         In 1942, thousands of Americans were hired by the US government.  The job description: a project that will help to end the war.  All they knew was that they would be paid well and the government would provide for everything they needed.  What they didn't know was what they would be doing or where they'd be doing it.  Among these people were many young women who, for various reasons, packed their bags and hopped on a train.  The train took them to Oak Ridge, TN.  There, they took on jobs from secretary to machine operator, janitor to scientist.  They worked in late-night shifts and slept in houses that had been slapped together just before their arrival.  Though the government hadn't planned for it to happen, the women made their mysterious gated city home.  

         This was such an interesting book.  I've always liked learning about all things WWII, and this was a great perspective on the war.  The author did a nice job of gathering a balanced account of life in Oak Ridge.  I liked how she switched between stories of the women who lived and worked in Oak Ridge and the scientific facts behind the work that they were doing.  The result was an interweaving of facts and personal details that made for a cohesive story.  Because Kiernan went into detail on the accounts of individual women, I felt like I got a good idea of the challenges they faced in all aspects of life in Oak Ridge.  I was really struck by the fact that Oak Ridge residents couldn't even tell their spouses what they did at work - it was that secretive.  The information on the development of the Gadget itself was written at a level that wasn't too overwhelming.  I would recommend this book to anybody who is interested in the Manhattan Project.  

Rating: 4/5

Completed: April 10, 2013

Clockwork Princess (Cassandra Clare)

***

Book Three of The Infernal Devices - spoiler alert!  (It's kind of hard to explain this book without telling you what happened in Book Two.)

         Tessa and Jem are preparing for their wedding before it is too late for Jem.  However, their plans are interrupted when Mortmain sends his automatons to kidnap Tessa.  He is almost ready to unleash the demon he will use to kill the Shadowhunters, but he needs Tessa to complete his plan.  Both Will and Jem will do anything to rescue Tessa, but they might not be able to muster the force to get her back.

         You know you're behind on your blog posts when you hardly remember what the book was about.  Sorry, guys . . . I've been slacking lately.  It was a close call between books and exams, but somehow the AP and ACT and SAT subject tests and finals won out.  Go figure.
         Anyway, I liked the first two books in this series a lot, but Clockwork Princess let me down a bit.  Maybe it was anticlimactic, maybe it was a little too perfect.  I remember not being a fan of the way the love triangle was resolved for that reason.  Things just don't work out that easily in life.  That's not to say it was a bad book - it was good, and I know people who have followed this series and thought this was the best installment of the three.  Although it wasn't my favorite of the three, if you read the first two books, I'd still recommend reading this one so you can see what happens and decide for yourself what you think of it all.

Rating: 3/5
Completed: March 28, 2013

If you read this book, what did you think?  Are you a fan of the ending to this trilogy?

The Princess Bride (William Goldman)

****

         A tale of high adventure with princesses, giants, murderers, mysterious killers, and everything in between.  'Nuff said.

         Seriously, though, this was a really good book.  The characters are well-developed and sort of comical.  The Princess Bride reminded me of the books I read when I was nine and refused to read any story that took place in the real world, and it would probably appeal to people of all ages.  I'm also told the movie is awesome, but haven't got around to watching it.  Now that school is out for the summer (!) I'll hopefully have time.

Rating: 4/5
Completed: March 23, 2013

Prodigy (Marie Lu)

****

Sequel to Legend - watch out for spoilers . . .

         June and Day have finally made it to Vegas, where they hope they can get the Patriots to give Day the medical attention he needs.  Shortly after their arrival, something completely shocking happens: Primo Elector dies and is replaced by his son.  Nobody seems to know what to think of their new leader, except for the Patriots.  When June and Day ask for help, a trade is proposed.  If the pair will join the Patriots, Day will be taken care of.  They agree without thinking about it, but once the Patriots unveil their plan for the new recruits, June starts to regret her decision.  She doesn't believe in the mission she's been tasked with, and can't help but question where her loyalty lies.  With Day?  The Patriots?  The government that destroyed her family?  Or something else entirely?

         It's been a while since I read this book, and I'm struggling to remember what I thought of it.  I do know that I liked the continuation of the plot line.  I also think Lu handled the characters very well.  It doesn't seem like it, but Legend covers a pretty short time span.  By the end of that book, it feels like the characters have completely changed.  When you think about it, though, it's not realistic for such thorough changes to happen so quickly.  I thought it made sense that June would question her loyalties and that Day would feel the class differences between himself and June in Prodigy.  This was a suspenseful sequel with a cliff hanger ending, and there will definitely be a third book on its way soon.  I'm looking forward to finding out what will happen next and having some of my questions answered.

Rating: 4/5
Completed: March 14, 2013

The Theban Plays (Sophocles)

****

         I read two of the three plays for my English class: Oedipus Rex and Antigone.  The former is the tragedy of Oedipus, a Greek prince who unknowingly kills his father and marries his mother.  Oedipus Rex takes place years after this has occurred, when Oedipus must discover the truth about his identity in order to save the people of Thebes.  Antigone is the story of his daughter, a defiant young woman who has grown up as the daughter of a disgraced king.  

         I didn't expect to like these plays, probably because books on the school curriculum are hated by the general population.  You end up hearing a lot of bad things about school books whether they're bad or not.  However, I actually thought both plays were really interesting.  The language isn't too difficult all things considered, and there's a lot of action and drama.  Neither Oedipus Rex nor Antigone is very long, so if you were interested in reading a Greek play, this might be the way to go.  (I know that sounds like a long shot, but I think there may actually be some people out there who really are interested in reading Greek plays.  Just a few, but still.)

Rating: 4/5

Completed: March 14, 2013

Perfect Scoundrels (Ally Carter)

****

Book 3 of the Heist Society series

         As a con artist, Kat Bishop knows a trick when she sees one.  When her boyfriend, W.W. Hale the fifth, suddenly and very unexpectedly inherits his grandmother's company, she can't help but suspect foul play.  Kat needs to find out the truth about Hale's inheritance, and fast - something is off and she wants know what before Hale gets hurt.  The biggest problem?  She can't tell Hale what she's doing.  Kat will have to enlist the help of her expansive web of criminals to prevent Hale from losing the company to somebody he'd never suspect.

         This was another great book by Ally Carter!  The plot was exciting and the characters were awesome as usual.  I appreciate the blend of serious, emotional scenes and hilarious banter between characters.  I also love all the names of the different cons that Kat and her family pull off.  It's been a while since I read the last Heist Society book, but Ally did a nice job of making it so that I still sort of remembered what was going on.  If you've read the other books in this series and liked them, you'll definitely like this one as well.

Rating: 4/5
Completed: February 23, 2013

Pivot Point (Kasie West)

****

         When Addie Coleman's parents announce that they're getting a divorce, they want her to decide who she'll live with.  After all, the decision should be simple for Addie: she is a Searcher, so she can look six weeks into the future to see which path is best.  Addie's Search isn't as straightforward as she'd hoped, though.  Life with her dad outside of the Compound is unlike any experience Addie's ever had, and she meets a cute guy in the process.  Staying with her mom and best friend, Addie has the familiar and a boyfriend to boot.  Neither place is perfect, though - dangerous forces are in action regardless of her decision.  And once the Search is over, Addie will have to choose what (and who) she is willing to sacrifice to protect the people she cares about.

         I really enjoyed the concept of this book, and it was executed pretty nicely.  It only took me a few days to read because I always was excited to find out what happened next.  Addie was a likable character with some good friends on the side.  It was cool how each chapter flip-flopped between alternate futures, especially because there was a sort of mirror affect between the two.  Some of the events that occurred changed drastically in the alternate paths, but others were unaffected by Addie's choice.  It was interesting to see how much influence Addie's choices did or didn't have on the future.  I'm not convinced that there will necessarily be a sequel to this book.  If there were, though, I would definitely make a point of reading it.

Rating: 4/5
Completed: February 18, 2013